Thousands of Protests Planned Nationwide Against Trump's Military Parade

Protests are expected to take place across the nation as Donald Trump oversees a military parade in Washington D.C. on Saturday. Organizers have planned as many as 2,000 protests to counter Trump’s lavish parade, which coincides with his birthday. The main events are scheduled in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, New York, Phoenix, Philadelphia, and Charlotte, N.C., with over 1,000 additional gatherings planned in other cities. The protests come amidst controversy following Trump’s order to deploy the National Guard and Marines into Los Angeles to quell protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, despite objections from Gov. Gavin Newsom and local officials. A judge initially ordered control of the National Guard to be returned to California, but this order was temporarily blocked by an appeals court the following day.

Some right-wing individuals may watch the protests to mock the participants or look for signs of violence, while some left-wing individuals may fear repercussions from participating or may not have the opportunity to do so in their town. For those interested in watching or learning more about the protests, the organizers’ website provides a map of all planned events, including start and stop times. The biggest events will be held in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, New York, Phoenix, Philadelphia, and Charlotte, N.C. Washington, D.C. was deliberately left off the list of main events due to Trump’s warnings that protesters of the military parade would encounter “very big force.”

The timing of the protests varies by city, with some beginning as early as 9:00 a.m. local time and others starting as late as 1:00 p.m. Most local protests are scheduled to last two hours, though larger ones could go on for three or more. The timing revolves around permitting requirements from the municipalities. A number of groups, including Indivisible, the American Civil Liberties Union, and 50501, are working together to organize the events. These same groups came together for the “Hands Off!” protests in April, and plans for the “No Kings” day events were in the works before the LA protests and Trump deploying the National Guard.

No networks have announced plans to broadcast the protests, but given their size and scope, it’s likely that all of the cable news networks will be covering them closely, airing live and taped footage from larger events and pivoting to others as news warrants. With the military parade and other celebrations in Washington, D.C., the networks will likely be switching their focus frequently. Barring things getting ugly, broadcast networks likely will only cover the protests as part of their normal weekend news programs.

For those interested in watching the protests online, the No Kings website will stream the flagship protest in Philadelphia from 12:00 p.m. ET until 3:00 p.m. ET. You can also watch that on YouTube. For an “on the ground” look, social media is likely your best bet. Popular hashtags include #NoKings. Remember, though, that social media is loaded with misinformation, so you might be better served ignoring text posts and focusing more on livestreams on those platforms. Another option to consider is Twitch, which is built for streaming video. While it’s largely focused on video games, several streamers have said they may stream their participation in the protests. Whether they’ll stream their participation is still TBD, but it could be worth checking the above hashtags on the site as well.